Woodwind musical instruments, e.g., saxophones and clarinets, and other devices such as bird calls utilize the vibration of a reed in response to a flow of air to generate a tone. These reeds include natural cane reeds and synthetic reeds. Tone generation in general depends on proper reed vibration. The reed is typically placed in contact with a mouthpiece to cover an opening or window. The reed is held in place by an adjustable clamp or ligature that surrounds the mouthpiece and the reed. Variations in the mouthpiece and ligature affect the vibration of the reed and, therefore, the performance or tone of the device or instrument. Various ligatures have been proposed largely to improve the overall performance of the instrument.
In any device that is part of a vibrating system, differences in materials and construction yield different vibrational patterns and tonal spectrums. In a typical prior art ligature, the configuration was premised largely on the objective of permitting the reed to vibrate with greater freedom and less constriction. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,998,715, the tone is altered in accordance with user preference by alternating the weight of the cradle that interfaced the reed. This arrangement demonstrated that variations in the mass of the ligature construction influence the performance of the ligature. However, the arrangement was complex in that the fastening elements at the end of the body were not utilized effectively in mass-loading the ligature in the region of the reed.
On single-reed woodwind instruments, the player typically adjusts the tension of the ligature, when tightened around and over the mouthpiece and reed, so as to affix the reed in place securely, and yet not so tightly as to inhibit free vibration of the reed. In many cases, because of the way the player positions the mouthpiece in his/her mouth, or because of the individual's mouth structure, the reed often tends to shift sidewise during playing, degrading performance and requiring constant repositioning by the player. In order to minimize reed shift many players will tighten the ligature as tight as possible, thereby causing not only a reduction in the playing freedom and tone, but causing the heel of the reed heel to compress and distort, which results in the lifting of the tapered end of the reed away from the rails of the mouthpiece; which induces air leakage between the reed and the mouthpiece and a resultant deterioration in playing performance. Typically, the heel of reeds used on single-reed instruments has a length such that ligatures of prior art only grasp approximately ⅔ of the full length of the heel of the reed. In some cases, some ligatures are so narrow that they contact but a fraction of reed heel.